ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Federal Reserve is expected to lower interest rates when it meets in two weeks. And if you really need a car that doesn’t break the bank, Consumer Reports has compiled a list of the 10 best used cars — all of which are less than $20,000.

Consumer Reports tests more than 50 vehicles every year at a sprawling 327-acre testing facility in rural Connecticut. There, testers push cars to their limits. To create their top ten list of the best used cars, they relied in part on testing data as well thousands of surveys from Consumer Reports subscribers.

“The average price right now of a used car is still in that $30,000 territory, which is still a lot of money,” said Alex Knizek, Consumer Reports’ Associate Director of Auto Testing and Development. “And so, we wanted to show that there are safe and reliable and relatively speaking new options out there.”

Some of the top picks:

For under $20,000 Consumer Reports recommends the 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid if you need a sedan.   If you have a big family, you might need the three-row 2020 Mazda CX-9.  If you want a smaller SUV under $20,000, CR’s top picks are the 2021 Kia Sportage or the 2018 Honda HR-V — which is under $15,000.

The 2019 Hyundai Elantra is CR’s pick for small sedan’s under $15,000. But, is that more than you have to spend? Consumer Reports says you can get a great reliable ride for less than $10,000, the 2017 Chevrolet Cruise.

“Yes, that car is a few years old. But it has above-average reliability, has that standard stability control, and it tested well,” said Knizek, explaining the decision to include the Chevy Cruise.

He said those are the primary requirements to be included on CR’s top ten list of cars.  The chosen cars also had a greater rate of depreciation than some of their competitors, making them a great value for the money.  Consumer Reports also ranked the most reliable used brands.

“We looked at five to 10-year-old used cars from these brands and we had 150,000 data points. And we put it all together to ultimately come up with our list,” said Knizek.

Topping the list is Lexus followed by Toyota, Mazda, and Acura. Honda rounds out the top five.

Consumer Reports strongly recommends that before you buy a used car, have it checked out by a reputable mechanic. Click here for more advice and recommendations for buying a used car.